HUNDREDS of men are being denied an alternative to radical surgery for prostate cancer because the National Health Service is refusing to pay for it, writes Sarah-Kate Templeton.

Hard-up primary care trusts across England have stopped funding brachytherapy, a new form of radiotherapy, although it has been approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice).

Doctors and patient groups have accused the NHS of discriminating against men. John Neate, chief executive of the Prostate Cancer Charity, said: “Nobody should have to battle bureaucracy when they need all their energy to come to terms with a diagnosis.”

Brachytherapy has fewer side effects than removing the prostate or giving radiotherapy for five days a week over seven weeks. Only 10%- 15% of men are left impotent after brachytherapy, compared with about 50% of men who undergo surgery.

The £9,000 treatment takes just one day. The patient has radioactive pellets implanted into the prostate gland. These target and kill the cancer.

Brachytherapy is not suitable for all prostate cancer sufferers but doctors believe that it is the best treatment for patients who have small tumours which have been caught at an early stage.

Stephen Langley, a consultant at the Royal Surrey County hospital in Guildford, one of about 10 in England offering brachytherapy, said: “A similar number of men die from prostate cancer every year as women who die from breast cancer, but there is a fraction of the money going into prostate cancer.”

The issue will be raised this week at the British Medical Association’s staff and associate specialists conference.

The Department of Health said: “With devolved decision-making, trusts can make different choices. The principle of local autonomy is important.”

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